What drivers and fleet managers can learn from the Tour de France

Start: Utrecht

LIGHT IS RIGHT: the lightest bike in this year's race weighs in at just 10 pounds!

LESSON LEARNT: encouraging your drivers to empty their boots before a trip can make a significant difference to fuel consumption

over a year - an extra 100 pounds increases fuel consumption

by 1-2%.

Seraing to Cambrai (hilly)

ROLL WITH IT: cycle tyre pressure is optimal to reduce rolling resistance.

LESSON LEARNT: if vehicle tyres are under inflated by 15 psi (1 bar), they will

have increased rolling resistance leading to around 6% greater fuel consumption.

Team time trial: Vannes to Plumelec

TEAM EFFORT: in a time trial, the riders must ensure their bikes are serviced to the highest standards to ensure optimum performance.

LESSON LEARNT: Always having at least 1.6mm tread across 75% of the tyre is key to fleet safety

and efficiency. However, many manufacturers recommend replacing at 3mm. In wet weather at

1.6mm it takes an extra two car lengths to stop at 50mph than at 3mm.

Anvers to Huy (flat)

EASY RIDER: If a rider is cycling very aggressively, continuously breaking out of the peloton, he is unlikely to survive even the first week of the Tour de France. LESSON LEARNT: How keen are your drivers to rev off the lights? Harsh accelerating combined with heavy braking can reduce fuel economy by up to 33% on motorways and 5% in towns.

Abbeville to Le Havre (flat)

FLAT OUT: the riders are on the flat and need a well lubricated chain to reduce friction and reach top speeds LESSON LEARNT: Changing the oil reduces the presence of contaminants in your fuel and oil system which can hamper fuel efficiency.

Alpe d'Huez (mountains)

THE UPS AND DOWNS: the riders can (very) occasionally save precious energy by not pedalling when descending the Tour's steepest hills (often at more than 60mph!).LESSON LEARNT: Coasting (where you release the accelerator pedal in gear) means you save on fuel usage, but did you know that TomTom Telematics OptiDrive 360 uses engine diagnostics and data on the road to tell business drivers when they should release the accelerator to coast with accuracy up to junctions or roundabouts?

Sèvres - Paris Champs-Élysées

GET IN GEAR: cycling athletes will always use the highest gear to reach optimum

speed with the least amount of effort. LESSON LEARNT: How often do your drivers leave the gear in 3rd, when they could shift up

to 4th or 5th? OptiDrive 360's predictive real-time driving advice tells them when to

shift gear and what their optimum speed should be.

Find out more about OptiDrive 360's unique predictive real-time driving advice.

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